Wild Idea of the Day

I'm often met with the argument that little things like whether a protagonist is female or male just don't make an impact on real individuals' lives. Those who make this argument believe that people are people and that girls can look up to men as role models, boys can look up to women, etc. The individuals who hold this viewpoint are also the ones who argue that it's no big deal if brides take their husbands' last names or that little girls wear pink and little boys wear blue. According to them, these subtle messages just don't have an influence on our lives.

I respect and understand this viewpoint. I kind of admire the idealism it represents. People who make this argument are saying that we are strong, tough, independent individuals who don't let anybody tell us what we can and can't do. But I disagree.

Here's some evidence to support my point.

I just read an article by a very smart, very respected economist that compared 500 or so sets of sisters on their likelihood of taking advanced math and science classes in high school. The shocking finding is this: Girls with more feminine first names were less likely to take these advanced courses than their sisters with less feminine names.

The idea is that having a feminine name either makes others treat you as more "girly" OR makes you think of yourself as less "into" traditionally male-dominated subjects (or both). Remember that these findings occur within individual families. So, there are no background differences between these girls - they have the same parents, grew up in the same houses, and go to the same schools. The only difference is how feminine their names are.

I truly, truly believe that messages about who we are supposed to be as men and women are everywhere. I believe we internalize them and make a lot of our decisions according to them. And since I hate limitations and pigeonholes, I believe that if we heard a greater variety of messages, we would be happier, healthier, and have lives that better fit who we really are.